Funeral of the late, great Tom Hickey to take place tomorrow

The late Kildare-born actor Tom Hickey, who passed away on Saturday, will be laid to rest tomorrow.

Mr Hickey, who lived in Dublin 8, died peacefully in the care of the nurses and staff at Orwell Private Nursing Home, Rathgar, surrounded by his loving family.

He is sadly missed by his son Lee, brothers Kieran, Tim and John B, sisters Phyl and Anne-Marie, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended family, former colleagues in the theatre community and a wide circle of friends.

 A private family funeral will take place, in accordance with current government restrictions.

A personal message of condolence for the Hickey family may be left here.

Donations in lieu of flowers have been kindly directed to The Parkinsons Association of Ireland.

 The Funeral Mass for Tom may be viewed on Thursday (May 6th) at 12 noon through https://eadestownparish.com/ and select live stream link.

President Michael D Higgins Has lead tributes to Mr Hickey, the actor and Kildare native, who passed away last Saturday.
Mr Hickey had a long and illustrious acting career, but is perhaps best remembered for his role as Benjy in RTÉ’s The Riordans. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2013.
During his battle with the illness, he toured the country with The Gallant John Joe — the story of famous Cavan football captain John Joe O’Reilly — in part to show fellow Parkinson’s sufferers that they could still achieve things in their lives, he told the Leinster Leader at the time.
Born in 1944, the former Naas GAA man shot to fame with The Riordans, which he joined in 1965. He later starred in My Left Foot and in recent years he had parts in Garage, Stella Days and as Granddad Joe in Moone Boy.
He worked as a lab assistant in Irish Ropes in Newbridge after leaving school, before starting his acting training with the Stanislavsky theatre in Dublin.
He had good memories of “playing for Naas against Moorefield and Sarsfields, of course I played with the Moores guys on the factory team, that was very good. That’s not today or yesterday...”, as he recalled in a 2016 interview.
President Higgins said in a statement last Saturday: “It is with great sadness that Sabina and I learned of the death of Tom Hickey, one of the greatest actors of his generation, giving over six decades to his profession. He leaves an indelible imprint on Irish theatre.
“Having trained with Deirdre O’Connell at the Stanislavski Studio while working as a cameraman at RTÉ, Tom Hickey became one of the founding members of the innovative Dublin Focus Theatre, playing in a number of ground-breaking productions, including Miss Julie, Antigone, Uncle Vanya and The Night of the Iguana.
“He made memorable contributions as an actor to productions in the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, working in collaborations of original work with directors and playwrights including Tom MacIntyre, Patrick Mason, Tom Murphy, Marina Carr and Garry Hynes.
“Besides starring in Ireland’s major theatres, Tom will also be remembered for his role as Benjy in The Riordans and his other roles in television, in theatres in the UK and in many films, including Breakfast on Pluto, Inside I’m Dancing, Neil Jordan’s The Butcher Boy and Raining Stones.
“Among his colleagues in the acting community he was regarded as an artist of total commitment to performance, to his art and to his community.
“He will be so missed. It was a privilege to know him as a friend.”
Hollywood star Chris O’Dowd, with whom he starred in Moone Boy, said: “We were lucky enough to have Tom Hickey join us on Moone Boy and he was wonderful, as always. Very few are capable of such divelment and empathy in a single look. Rest well Tom, thanks for sharing your talents with us all.”
Naas county councillor Seamie Moore added to the tributes, commenting: “We in Naas were proud that Tom Hickey had gone to school, served Mass, lived on the Kilcullen Road, played local football, and wore the white jersey among us.
“He learned his early acting skills with Brother McDunphy during his secondary school career. Despite his enormously popular status from early RTÉ fame, he was a most humble townee on his many return visits. We were indeed ‘blessed to have him’.”
The Kildare CMWS group added its tribute to the online condolence book, writing: “A Kildare native, he treaded the boards on our hall stage in 1958, performing in the very first Kildare Drama Festival with the Naas Moat Theatre. Paul Twyning was the play. To his family and wide circle of theatre friends, we extend our sincere sympathy. May Tom enjoy eternal rest.”
Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghail added: “His mastery of his craft earned Tom national standing and admiration, and a very special place in the hearts of Kildare people.”
Tom Hickey, of the South Circular Road, Dublin, passed away peacefully in the care of Orwell Private Nursing Home, Rathgar, surrounded by his loving family. He is sadly missed by his son Lee, brothers Kieran, Tim and John B, sisters Phyl and Anne-Marie, extended family, former colleagues in the theatre community and a wide circle of friends.